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Gecko

Specialty Definition: Gecko

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article describes gecko lizards. If you are looking for the HTML renderer for Mozilla, go to Gecko layout engine.

Geckos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Sub-order: Sauria Family: Gekkonidae

Geckos are small to moderately large lizards belonging to the Family Gekkonidae and found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Geckos are unusual in other respects as well. Many species have specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth vertical surfaces and even cross indoor ceilings with ease. These antics are well-known to persons living in warm regions of the world where several species of geckos make their home inside human habitations. These species (for example the House gecko) become part of the indoor menagerie and are seldom really discouraged because they feed on insect pestss.

Most geckos are tan to dark grey, subtly patterned, and somewhat rubbery looking. Some species can change color to blend in with their surroundings. However others can be brightly colored. Like most lizards, they eat insects. Some species are parthenogenic, the females capable of reproducing without copulating with a male. This improves the gecko's ability to spread to new islands.

The toes of the gecko have attracted a lot of attention, as they adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, without the use of liquids or surface tension. Recent studies of the setae on gecko footpads demonstrates that the attractive forces that hold geckos to surfaces are van der Waals interactions between the finely divided setae and the surfaces themselves. That these kinds of interactions involve no liquids (or no gases) is important; in theory, a boot made of synthetic setae would adhere as easily to the surface of the International Space Station as it would to a living room wall.

Many gecko species may be kept as pets and will eat various kinds of insects.

Common species of geckos

• House gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus – A species that thrives around man and human habitation structures in the tropics and subtropics world wide.
• Indo-Pacific gecko, Hemidactylus garnoti – Also known as a fox gecko because of its long, narrow snout. This species is found in houses throughout the tropics.
• Leopard gecko – The most common gecko kept as a pet is the leopard gecko, which does not have toe pads with setae, but rather claws. These enable it to more easily climb on rough surfaces like tree bark. This gecko cannot climb the glass of a terrarium. The leopard gecko tends to be docile and calm.
• Mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris – This species is equally at home in the wild as in residential neighborhoods. Found in Hawai'i, it may have been an early Polynesian introduction. A parthenogenic species
• Stump-toed gecko, Gehyra mutilata (=Peropus mutilatus) – This gecko can vary its color from very light to very dark to blend into a background. At home in the wild as well as in residential neighborhoods.
• Tokay, Gekko gekko – This is the lizard for which geckos were named. It's mating call is a loud gek-gek-gek-gekkkk! The Tokay has naturalized in southern Florida.
• Tree gecko, Hemiphyllodactylus typus – Tree geckos are forest dwellers.

Classification of geckos

The gecko family contains some 1050 known species which are divided into five subfamilies:

• Subfamily Aeluroscalabotinae
  • Genus Aeluroscalabotes
• Subfamily Eublepharinae
  • Genus Coleonyx
  • Genus Eublepharis
  • Genus Goniurosaurus
  • Genus Hemitheconyx
  • Genus Holodactylus
• Subfamily Gekkoninae
  • Genus Afroedura
  • Genus Afrogecko
  • Genus Agamura
  • Genus Ailuronyx
  • Genus Alsophylax
  • Genus Aristelliger
  • Genus Asaccus
  • Genus Blaesodactylus
  • Genus Bogertia
  • Genus Briba
  • Genus Bunopus
  • Genus Calodactylodes
  • Genus Carinatogecko
  • Genus Chondrodactylus
  • Genus Christinus
  • Genus Cnemaspis
  • Genus Coleodactylus
  • Genus Colopus
  • Genus Cosymbotus
  • Genus Crossobamon
  • Genus Cryptactites
  • Genus Cyrtodactylus
  • Genus Cyrtopodion
  • Genus Dixonius
  • Genus Dravidogecko
  • Genus Ebenavia
  • Genus Euleptes
  • Genus Geckolepis
  • Genus Geckonia
  • Genus Gehyra
  • Genus Gekko
  • Genus Goggia
  • Genus Gonatodes
  • Genus Gonydactylus
  • Genus Gymnodactylus
  • Genus Haemodracon
  • Genus Hemidactylus
  • Genus Hemiphyllodactylus
  • Genus Heteronotia
  • Genus Homonota
  • Genus Homopholis
  • Genus Lepidoblepharis
  • Genus Lepidodactylus
  • Genus Luperosaurus
  • Genus Lygodactylus
  • Genus Matoatoa
  • Genus Microscalabotes
  • Genus Nactus
  • Genus Narudasia
  • Genus Pachydactylus
  • Genus Palmatogecko
  • Genus Paragehyra
  • Genus Paroedura
  • Genus Perochirus
  • Genus Phelsuma
  • Genus Phyllodactylus
  • Genus Phyllopezus
  • Genus Pristurus
  • Genus Pseudogekko
  • Genus Pseudogonatodes
  • Genus Ptenopus
  • Genus Ptychozoon

  • Genus Ptyodactylus
  • Genus Quedenfeldtia
  • Genus Rhoptropus
  • Genus Saurodactylus
  • Genus Sphaerodactylus
  • Genus Stenodactylus
  • Genus Tarentola
  • Genus Teratolepis
  • Genus Thecadactylus
  • Genus Tropiocolotes
  • Genus Urocotyledon
  • Genus Uroplatus
• Subfamily Teratoscincinae
  • Genus Teratoscincus
• Subfamily Diplodactylinae
  • Genus Bavayia
  • Genus Carphodactylus
  • Genus Crenadactylus
  • Genus Diplodactylus
  • Genus Eurydactylodes
  • Genus Hoplodactylus
  • Genus Lucasium
  • Genus Naultinus
  • Genus Nephrurus
  • Genus Oedura
  • Genus Phyllurus
  • Genus Pseudothecadactylus
  • Genus Rhacodactylus
  • Genus Rhynchoedura
  • Genus Saltuarius
  • Genus Underwoodisaurus

External links

• Evidence for van der Waals interactions in gecko setae
• A less formal article on the use of van der Waals forces and their connection to geckos

Gecko is a Japanese word for moon light.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gecko."

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Gecko layout engine

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Gecko is a free web browser layout engine designed to support open Internet standards such as HTML 4.0, CSS 1/2, the W3C Document Object Model, XML 1.0, RDF, and JavaScript.

Gecko is being developed at mozilla.org. Gecko has been known previously by the code names Raptor and NGLayout. NGLayout originally meant "Next Generation Layout", but later came to mean "Netscape Gecko Layout".

Gecko offers a rich programming API that make it suitable for a wide variety of roles in Internet enabled applications, such as web browsers, content presentation and client / server. Primarily it is used for the Mozilla browser derivatives such as Netscape 6, but it is used elsewhere as well.

Products that use Gecko for the entire user interface via XUL:

• Mozilla (Mozilla.org's own browser suite under the codename SeaMonkey)
• Netscape 6.0 and later versions
• Beonex Communicator
• IBM Web Browser for OS/2
• Aphrodite
• Mozilla Firebird
• ActiveState Komodo visual development environment for Perl, Python and more on Windows and Linux

Products that use Gecko for rendering HTML and XML content:

• Galeon for GNOME
• Skipstone for GNU/Linux
• K-Meleon for Windows
• Q.BATi for Mac OS X
• Camino for Mac OS X
• CompuServe 7.0 for Windows
• AOL for Mac OS X and Windows
• Salamander for GNU/Linux
• Epiphany for GNU/Linux

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gecko layout engine."

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Commercial Usage: Gecko

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Image Slideshow: Gecko

Photos: Gecko More pictures...

Illustrations: Gecko More pictures...

Computer Images: Gecko More pictures...

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Digital Photo Gallery: Gecko
 

"Gecko on sholder" by Martin Manegold Commentary: "A little Gecko on the shoulder of my friend. At least I think it is one. Please correct me."	"Gecko" by Kimmo Kuisma Commentary: "My pet giant madagascar day gecko morris."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Usage Frequency: Gecko

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expressions: Gecko

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Gecko

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Modern Translation: Gecko

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Ancestral Language Translations: Gecko

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Derivations & Misspellings: Gecko

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Rhyming with "Gecko"

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Anagrams: Gecko

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